With All My Heart
by Ellisaed
Summary: A series of Jack x Audrey One-Shots, mostly AU, about their life together. Set Day 4 and beyond. Updated regularly! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Hey again if you're here from my IG page! And hello if you aren't! Welcome to my first JackxAudrey fanfiction! After seeing them now in LAD my heart just wells up with love for my otp! So these one-shots were born. I currently have 3 complete and am working on two more, so expect lots soon! Enjoy guys! - Ellisaed :)

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Jack awoke to the sound of a baby crying.

Stirring in his bedsheets, he yawned and rolled over onto his back. His wife, Audrey Raines, was still sleeping, curled close to him and her blonde hair draped over his pillow a bit. He waited a moment to see if the sound would return.

The two had only been parents for two days, but already Jack's mind drifted to the wonderful nights of continuous sleep that seemed so far away then. Audrey was even more exhausted than he was, though he knew she would never admit it. But already, Jack knew he wouldn't trade this in for anything.

The clock read 1:14, and traffic was still fairly busy outside. For them a few months ago, they'd still be up and at it, sometimes even out around LA at this hour. Jack scoffed at the thought, how he wished he would have savoured it. He could barely believe that his and Audrey's life had changed so much since they had discovered they were having a baby. Though he had been through it before, with Teri and his daughter Kim, that had been a long time ago and he was a different person - and Audrey was a different woman. His relationship with his wife, as well as with those of his at his workplace, had all transformed and shaped into new things all because of this new person that they had created.

It was a mind boggling thought that such a small thing could mean so much, Jack couldn't wrap his head around it, and that he could love it so much, even with all he had been through before and for its sake, for Audrey's sake, for the sake of their new family.

Even so, that didn't mean he could go without sleep forever. At a silence that had settled over the house, Jack considered going back to sleep - in fact his heavy eyelids demanded it - but just as he closed them he heard the cry again.

Jack huffed, slowly sitting up then and swinging his feet out of the covers. He heard Audrey stir beneath the sheets beside him, and he looked to see her trying to get out of bed as well.

"Audrey, go back to sleep." Jack whispered, turning to her, "I've got him."

Audrey was already sitting up however and reaching for her robe at the end of the bed. "No, Jack, you have to work in the morning. Let me - "

Jack crawled across the bed and took her robe out of her grasp as she said those words. Audrey's eyes met his drearily, but stubbornly, like always. Even at 1 am she could be feisty. Jack knew that Audrey would rather not get up, but he also knew she was merely wanting to help. Jack was still extremely cautious around the infant and got a little nervous whenever he cried. But she was quiet, in respect for him, like always, knowing he was just as stubborn as her.

"I've got him." Jack said, "You don't have to worry, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Audrey asked gently.

"Yes, I'm sure." Jack placed her robe back on the bed post, moving to sit beside her and he kissed the top of her head, "Get some rest."

Audrey nodded and slipped under the covers again as Jack stood up and tiptoed out of their bedroom. The nursery was just across the hall, and they had been trying to keep the baby there at night though were often tempted to move the crib into their room to spare their fatigue. Jack slowly pushed the half-closed door open, the dim of the pastel green room filled with the sound of white noise; Audrey played it to soothe the baby at night time, as she had when she was pregnant. The cradle was on the left side of the room across from the change table, and Jack heard the whimpers grow louder as he neared as if the baby could sense his presence.

Baby Liam squirmed restlessly in the crib, wearing his blue onesie that Chloe had picked out for him, the words "future analyst" embroidered on the front. Jack smiled to himself at the thought, and he reached down and carefully lifted the baby into his arms, grabbing on of his receiving blankets as well. Though the baby seemed to cry harder as Jack held him he knew it was because he was hungry, and knew that being held meant getting food - even at less than a week old, the baby was smart. Jack took one of the few bottles they set out for the night from the top of the dresser and guided it into the wailing mouth to silence the cries. He moved to sit in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, calmed by the quiet sound of the baby's breathing close to his chest.

William James Bauer was, in his parents eyes as well as all who knew him thus far, a beautiful baby. He was born six pounds even and nineteen inches, and Tony had told them that he was smaller than average, but perfectly healthy. He had a full head of reddish-blonde down atop his head and a pair of the clearest blue eyes. He had his mothers nose and his fathers ears, and his grandfathers wrinkled brow. Jack could see traits of his daughter Kim when he looked upon the little face.

He was beautiful in other ways than appearance. He slept well, and ate very well, much to Audrey's dismay, at times nursing for half and hour. He would calmly lay awake and gaze about for hours before drifting off to sleep at times. He was not disturbed by strangers and never made strange to their friends. Michelle had suggested trading children to Audrey more than once, and each time she said it she seemed more serious. The only flaw of the child, if any, was that he did not sleep well at night.

Jack knew he should not be complaining, shoving the resentment away then and releasing a calming sigh. He slowly pushed his foot against the carpet and rocked them back and forth in the chair, seeing his sons eyes had closed but he still sucked at the lukewarm milk fervently.

"You were hungry, weren't you?" Jack chuckled softly, the deep of his voice mixing with the baby's high breathing sounds. Liam whimpered a bit, but Jack soothed him, "Shh, it's okay . . . I'll stay quiet."

In the doorframe of the room, Audrey stood then, leaning against it with her arms wrapped around her bodice. She tucked some of her messy blonde hair behind her ear and smiled at him. Jack wanted to be upset with her at getting up but he couldn't.

"How are we doing?" She asked.

"We're fine. He prefers to dine in silence."

Audrey laughed a little, "You should talk to him. He needs to get used to your voice."

"I don't blame him, a lot of people are scared of my voice."

"Except for me."

"Not always," Jack teased.

Audrey rolled her eyes as she moved into the room and draped a receiver over her shoulder as the baby finished eating, taking him gently from Jack to burp him. "You've been working overtime. You know he gets like this when you're home less."

"You can thank Bill Buchanan for that. Ever since we got that tip last week that there may be a terrorist mole working inside the LAPD, he's been double staffing and still unable to cover all corners. You know better than I do that the White House expects us to keep these kinda of things in control."

"Yes, I do."

"On top of that Tony and Michelle have been in and out dealing with her brother and their baby. Chloe's pregnant and Morris acts like he's pregnant because of it, and meanwhile I'm trying to focus on work without worrying about you."

"Why don't you ask Bill to give you less hours?"

"Because if I do that, we will have less diapers," Jack warned, knowing how grave the thought really was, "And that isn't acceptable."

"You only have a baby once Jack. You can work for as long as you'd like later on."

"Are you bribing me or guilt tripping me?" Jack asked, seeing the coy look cross his wife's face as she smiled at him with sidelong eyes.

"Is it working?"

Jack slipped a hand around the smooth silk of her bodice, unable to resist giving her a peck on the lips, smelling her perfume on her neck. She giggled as he kissed her there as well, but quickly hushed him, seeing the baby had fallen into soft sleep on her shoulder.

Jack took Liam carefully and laid him gently inside his crib again, feeling his wife arms wrap around his chest from behind as he took a moment and watched the infant, breathing rhythmically in the silence.

Words were whispered into his ear, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Too many things." Audrey said.

Jack grabbed one of her hands in his.

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Please leave feedback in the reviews! Thank you!


	2. Chapter 3

_(Ok so before you read this, I had just tried to post this like 3 times and it wasn't showing up? GLitchIng like craxy XD So so sorry guys! I had to delete it and try again but it is working just fine now! Thanks)_

_P.S. - these one-shots are set in random times, not necessarily in any order :)_

**_With All My Heart - Part 2_**

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"Where are you holding Audrey Raines?"

"There is no patient admitted here under that name - "

"Audrey Heller?"

The nurse behind the counter hesitated as she punched the name into her computer. She looked up to the harrowed looking blonde man in a dark t shirt, "Do you have a visitors pass?"

"What is the room number?"

"Sir, I can't - "

Jack pulled out his rifle in a heartbeat, and the girl raised her hands and stared back at him with wide eyes.

"I am a federal agent. I was called here from CTU because I was told Audrey Raines was in critical condition. I don't wanna hurt you but you're wasting my time! What is her room number?!"

"12, i-it's 12." The girl stuttered, shoving a key card onto the counter quickly before hiding behind her hands again.

"Thank you," Jack holstered his weapon and grabbed the card before taking off running down the hallway to his left. His mind did somersaults, his stomach churning with a deep, hollow resentment. This was his fault, this was all his fault -

The room marked 12 suddenly came into his vision, and Jack nearly tripped as he stopped and rushed into the room, but he nearly stumbled again as his breath caught in his throat.

The room was not like a hospital room, but like a prison cell. It was dim and cold and damp, no windows, no furniture. A woman lay in a curled close position in the corner of the tiny room, pressing her hands against the wall in a grasping motion, looking for something to hold on to. Her hair and skin was sticky with sweat, and she shook violently like a silent tornado swirled around her.

Jack clutched the doorframe for balance for a moment before he was instantly knelt at her side. He did not touch her right away, but called her back to him. He knew how difficult it was to get her back.

"Audrey." He whispered, forcing tears from his voice. "Audrey, it's me. It's Jack."

Audrey's closed eyes twitched at the sound, and she struggled and clutched the wall more desperately.

"Audrey," Jack repeated, firmer. He tried using the nickname she had as a child, "Audrey Lou. It's me."

She looked back at him.

Jack reached his hand out gently, slowly, toward her cheek, and though she blinked in confusion the feeling of his warmth on her skin stilled her shivering frame. Audrey's lips, which were pale as her eyes and bleeding from dryness, moved silently as she tried to form his name, and suddenly she was in his embrace and clutching no longer at a lifeless wall but the arms of Jack.

Jack pressed her close to him and kissed her hair repeatedly, quelling that tell-tale feeling of regret that always found him after any of Audrey's treatment sessions. Even after three weeks, none of the personnel in the centre knew how to properly care for her - rather, none of them cared to even try properly. She wasn't an average patient but they treated her like one. Despite Audrey's fathers insistence that she continue the program Jack knew she was not getting any better. This was the third time in two weeks he was called in. If no one else was going to put a stop to it, as her partner and her love, he had to.

At the open door appeared two nurses and the head doctor. Jack sent them a look with cold eyes.

"Sir, I am going to have to ask you to leave," The head doctor stammered, clearly upset by the situation, "You were not admitted during visitation hours -"

"I'm not going to sit here and watch her slip away." Jack bit back, rising carefully with an arm supporting Audrey's tired body. Slowly, they made their way to the door and Jack raised his brows as the doctor stared him in the face.

"Please, sir. You need written consent from a next of kin in order to release a patient."

"You'll get it in the mail - "

The doctor put his arm out across the doorframe, "I don't want to call security, sir, but I will have to."

Jack felt the pent-up anger in him bubble over to action, grabbing the front of the doctors shirt and whispering harshly, "You may think its acceptable to sit around all high and mighty in your white collar and steal the funds from sick human beings while you watch them whither away to a useless nothing, but I don't. You may be able to look me in the eye and tell me I'm breaking the rules, but can you look her in the eyes and tell her that you actually care about her?"

The doctor swallowed, eyes blinking about, and Jack gave him a hard shake.

"I didn't think so. You also may not think I can take you down with one hand, but I can. So I suggest you get out of my way. This is over." Jack finished, and whether the doctor liked it or not he was pushed aside as they passed by. Jack lifted Audrey carefully to be cradled in his arms, seeing her fall sleep instantly, and he kissed her forehead.

The nurses at the doctors side seemed to want to take action against the man, but the head doctor silenced their protests, slinking away to his office again.

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Thanks for reading! I really liked writing angry Jack :) A new instalment coming soon!


	3. Chapter 3 real

_**Hello again! Here's the next one-shot! This one was specifically inspired by a wedding headcanon made by theboylives on IG. It gave me so many feels I had to write this one :) And if any of you are Tony fans, this one is for you! I have another one-shot finished, and I'm almost finished two more - do you think I can write 24 of these? We shall see ;) Anyways, enjoy! - Ellisaed **_

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Jack Bauer turned toward the floor length mirror again, still not satisfied with his appearance. His tanned hair was parted and combed neatly to one side, and he smoothed it again just to be sure. He had just shaved - the most careful shave of his life - and the smell of a few sprays of cologne was traceable on his skin.

As well, his charcoal suit fit snug but not too snug around him, his shoes peeking out from the bottom of his pants with a glint of suede shine. It wasn't that he felt his vanity was of importance, certainly not, but he heard the words of his fiancé and soon to be wife looping through his mind.

"Make sure you look nice," Jack whispered to himself, picking a few pieces of stray lint off his sleeves.

"What's that Jack?"

The voice had come from the other part of the hotel room, and Jack glanced over his shoulder to see Tony Almeida coming up to stand behind him. He was dressed in similar fashion, except somehow he looked better than Jack thought he did.

"Audrey said to be sure I looked nice."

"And?" Tony asked, "Is that a trick question? You've probably spent more time getting ready than she has, you know."

Jack made a face, not encouraged. "The ceremony starts in an hour and I look like I just rolled out of bed. Maybe it's this damn cravat . . . "

Jack pulled out the messy knot around his neck and slid it off his collar, folding the long strip of cream coloured fabric in half to try and tie it again.

"Whoa, calm down pal," Tony cautioned, seeing the jerks of frustration in Jack's gestures. He motioned his friend to turn around, and he took the tie from his hands and began tying it carefully for him. "The wedding hasn't even started yet and you look like you're gonna faint."

"You're my best man, so it's your job to catch me if I do." Jack replied dryly, and Tony chuckled.

"Take a deep breath, you'll be fine. Trust me, I've done this before."

"Yeah, I can't imagine how. At least your wedding wasn't so planned."

"Are you kidding? Michelle worked weeks on our favours and in the end you tell me: did you even use that silly little keychain? You know, with the rose on it?"

Tony raised his brows, looking for an honest answer. Jack barely remembered the details of Tony and Michelle's wedding, the event taking place two years ago, and he shrugged, "I can't say I did."

"Exactly my point." Tony laughed, "All of these small things won't matter soon."

"I get that, but you know how much of a perfectionist Audrey is." Jack sighed as Tony finished tying his cravat, turning to inspect himself again. "You know how many months she's been choosing flowers and centrepieces and invitations and decorations and music and everything. It's was a struggle for me to find time off work to pick a date, and I missed helping her pick a cake and choose a venue. She's been so stressed about this and I want to pay her back for not being there when she needed. I just want everything to go just as she planned; I just want her to be happy."

At his still slightly shabby reflection, Jack grimaced and swore beneath his breath as he went to remove his tie again - but a hand caught his mid-way.

"Jack, listen to me," Tony pushed his hand away, "What d'ya think Audrey's thinking about right now? The flavour of the cake? The type of carpet in the chapel? The one and only thing that's on her mind is you. I bet you a thousand bucks that if you walked out there in your bullet-proof vest and khakis she would love you just as much than if your cravat was tied straight."

Jack shifted his jaw left and right, feeling the familiar tug his heart gave at the thought of Audrey smile, imagining her strolling up the aisle in her ivory dress, her blue eyes sparkling back at his.

"All she wants is for you to be happy, however good or bad this wedding goes. That's what Michelle wanted for me."

Jack shifted until he stood face to face with Tony, a sense of welcomed relief flooding him. Just like old times, just like always, Tony had his back. Maybe it was the surging tides of emotions due to the day or maybe it was a spur of the moment action, but Jack found himself giving his friend a hug and unlike usual he was glad about it.

Tony gave him a smirk and patted Jack's shoulder as they separated, "Let's skin out of here before we get punished for being tardy."

"Michelle has always been a stickler for that hasn't she?" Jack mused, giving himself one last satisfactory look in the mirror before reaching over and grabbing his keys from the bedside table before following Tony toward the door.

"Speaking of Michelle, don't even think about mentioning what I said about those keychains, alright?"

"Wait, the keychain I used to unclog my sink drain yesterday - ouch, watch the hair!"

"She will kill me, Jack, don't even mess around! You've seen Michelle angry, now multiply that by ten!"

"Wait are we talking about the keychain that I fed to my neighbours dog?"

"Shut up Jack!"

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Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think!


	4. Hostages

_**Hello hello Agents! Here I am with another NEW one-shot! This one, like all of them really, was fun to do :)**_

_**Just for varieties sake, what do you guys want to see in future one-shots? More angst? More fluff? More cute stuff or more **__**romantic**__** stuff? Let me know, cause I will be happy to tailor to your feels ;)**_

_**Anyways, without further ado, enjoy! - Ellisaed :) **_

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The van swerved a sharp right, the shrill of tire squeals cutting like a knife in the hot afternoon air. Surrounding traffic blared on their horns angrily, but it seemed irrelevant as the black vehicle raced through them anyways, those not in compliance being clipped as a result.

Audrey peeked her head up the best she could, trying to see out through the windshield, but they turned again and she was slammed back into the sides of the empty backseat. Her legs were scraped deep against the raw steel of the floor and she couldn't brace herself fast enough to stop her head from hitting the side. Her vision blurred and hazed, but stubbornly she fought it away; not even the painful bruise that trailed blood down her forehead could distracted her from her real concern: Jack.

Quickly, Audrey regained composure and crawled back to the body lying limp and tumbled along side her in the trunk of the getaway vehicle. Though his bulk was heavy, she pulled his arms until he rolled back onto his back, taking his stubbled face in her hands again as she had.

"Jack?!" She said desperately, aching for the blues of his eyes to meet hers but she only saw the flutter of dreaming beneath his eyelids. At least he was not dead. Yet.

Audrey gently laid his head to one side, eyes moving to the bloodied stain forming rapidly on his lower left side. Even through his dark cotton t-shirt she could see the wound - whether it was from a bullet it a knife - was deep and the bleeding could be fatal. She had to stop the bleeding, somehow, with something.

Again, the van jerked a corner and Audrey shouted as she rolled and slammed into the side as before. This time, though, she felt the frightened and frustrated tears spring in her eyes. She had forced herself to be brave so far. She had no choice.

They had come in broad daylight. Her and Jack had been out for lunch downtown in L.A., like they usually did once a week. The location was popular, bustling, out in the open, and Jack had always been able to sense if something did not feel right about a place, or if they may have been at risk. Audrey had felt uneasy that day, but for a reason unrelated. Her and Jack hadn't been getting along, at work or at home, for three days straight, as much as they both hated it. She had been prepared to talk it out, to hopefully regain that familiar trust she took refuge in him - she had not been prepared for this.

Their captors - whoever they were - were not just a few run-of-the-mill, mid-life crisis type of kidnappers. They had come silently and prepared. It was the kind of thing Audrey imagined being in a cheap horror-thriller, one you could see a mile away but still be fooled by. She didn't know their motives or their plan, she only knew that her and Jack had to escape before something even worse happened.

Audrey felt dizzier then as she made it back to Jack, wiping tears from her blurry gaze. There was a sheen of feverish sweat on his face, and he tossed his head from one side to the other as if trapped in a nightmare. She placed a hand on his cheek gently, not deny that she was very frightened, in many ways and for many reasons, but she forced herself to be brave. That's what she knew Jack would have done for her.

Quickly, her head clearing at the thought, Audrey put away her fears and slipped out of her beige coloured jacket, attempting to tear it. The fabric was too thick, she knew after her first few tugs at the weak spots, and she instead pulled her blouse over her head and repeated the same, able to rip it easily.

She grabbed the hem of Jack's bloodied shirt and rolled it up to his ribcage, able to better see the intensity of the wound. She wasn't a doctor but she knew enough to know it must have hurt like hell, and she wasted no time in carefully covering it with a few smaller pieces of her white blouse before wrapping them in place with the long lopsided strips she made from the excess.

It was when she was tightly tying the last knot of the wrap that Jack Bauer suddenly regained consciousness with a gasp. He jerked upright, eyes bright in confusion and pain, and Audrey pushed him back to lie down.

"Audrey," His voice came out in a desperate question, that whisper she knew well, though then it was only a coarse breath, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Where are we?" Jack turned a bit, glancing around the dim darkness of the van.

"I - I'm not sure, I couldn't see anything, and we kept turning - "

"Shh." Jack gestured her to silence, and through the rattles of the beat up vehicle and the jolting thumps of their own bodies he strained to hear.

Audrey picked up that by the lessening of street sounds - car horns, brakes screaming - they had been driven either onto the freeway or the outskirts of L.A., which were both bad things.

"We're outside the city." Jack confirmed her suspicion with a nod. He pointed toward a crack in the metal siding of the car, to the bright flickers of orange setting sunlight. "West is there. We're headed southbound."

"Who are these people?" Audrey asked hopefully. She saw by Jack's hesitation, though, that it wouldn't be that easy.

"I didn't get a good look . . . when they grabbed me. I have a hunch it's retaliation from CTU's recent investigations in the Maldives," Jack decided, his voice holding little hesitation to his statement. "They didn't like me poking around their business, and wanted to take care of the 'loose ends'."

She subtly remembered Jack speaking of the group from the Maldives spotted in East L.A. that CTU had been monitoring. She hadn't given it much thought then, because Jack's work was never a risk to her essentially.

"Loose ends?" Audrey repeated, though she knew what he meant, "What are they going to do with us?"

"Dump our bodies somewhere," Jack replied dryly, as if he were talking about something of nonchalance like dropping off the dry cleaning. "But they left us a lot of leeway."

Jack tilted his head a bit, motioning Audrey toward his right pocket, and she put her hand in and grabbed what was inside: a round metal button.

"My tracker. CTU just issued them mandatory; for once, I guess it wasn't a dumb thing to cut our budget for."

"So are we okay?"

"Since I haven't reported leaving L.A., it should send out a distress signal. Chloe always watches my thing like a hawk. CTU should be on our trail."

"So we are okay?"

"Yes, sweetheart. We're gonna be okay."

Despite the still eminent danger around them, Jack somehow found peace in the moment, even as a hostage in a getaway van. That was what endeared her about him. Audrey wanted to cry and laugh in relief all at once, and when Jack motioned her closer to him she couldn't speak. They sat hip to hip, her hand in his,callused fingers wrapped around her soft hands, and Jack kissed her, the sort of kiss that explained everything while saying nothing at all. Their foreheads were pressed together as they parted.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, pushing himself upright a bit more and reaching out to brush away dirty blonde hair and touch the reddened graze on her forehead, "What did they do to you?"

"Nothing, Jack, I'm fine. You're hurt."

"It's just a graze, barely hurts." Jack lied through his teeth, seeming only slightly bothered by the wound in his gut, a hand gently touching the darkened makeshift bandage. "Did you do this?"

Audrey nodded, "I had to stop the bleeding."

The look that came over his was a kind of proud pleasure Audrey rarely saw, the bluish eyes turning up in almost a smile; it could have also come from the fact that since she had used her shirt for the bandage, she was still only in her bra. "Good. I have to say, overall, this has been a fairly successful lunch date."

Audrey let the smile happen then, "Indeed. Though I wish we could have stayed for dessert."

"Dessert? Coming right up . . ."

He kissed her deeper then.

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Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think!


	5. Strength

**_Hello again! So here's the next instalment! I'm so glad so many of you are enjoying these, and I'll be sure to try and get in some requested one-shots! For now, here's one that made me very feelsy and was a pleasure to write. It's a bit on the angsty side and has some minor graphic details (blood, wounds, etc.) so please read with caution if that isn't your thing. Otherwise, enjoy! - Ellisaed :)_**

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The tea kettle shrilled from its place atop the stove, a plume of hot steam escaping from the spout. It had been doing so for three minutes, piercing Audrey Raines ears from her spot standing in their small kitchen. She was surprised she had been able to stand it for so long, let alone the neighbours. But the surprise that struck her the most was how in the world Jack Bauer, who heard every footstep, had not but flinched since it began and continued not to, unperturbed.

Audrey had known Jack long enough, he was an incredibly patient man, a great deal more level-headed than her at times. But she wasn't fooled. She knew that the still form sitting at their dining room table before her, head bowed slightly and eyes staring, was not the result of composure. On the contrary, it was the result of distress.

"Jack?" Audrey tried calling his name again, her ears ringing.

Pale sunlight dappled Jack's face from the window, revealing his darkened blue-grey eyes much like the clouds that obscured the dawn. His form was stiff, still dressed in his clothes from yesterday, a heaviness in his chest, his shoulders.

Audrey pulled her bathrobe tighter around her rounded stomach, waiting another thirty seconds before she gave up. She sat quietly at the table across from Jack, reaching over to rest her hand atop his own.

"Jack." She called, firmer than before, and Jack blinked instantly at the familiar tone. His eyes flickered back to life as they searched to meet Audrey's.

"Yes?" He asked, as if he had been the one waiting on her.

Audrey fought back a smile. No sooner did Jack turn a bit toward the screeching kettle, blonde brows furrowing deeply.

"The kettle."

"What's wrong with it?"

Jack gave her a look, "It's screeching."

Audrey shrugged, and Jack's tone jumped a notch, bewildered.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Jack's expression grew irritated then, "Why are you letting it?"

"It hasn't bothered you for the last five minutes. Nothing has. You didn't even realize I walked in here." Audrey said, her tone gentle, and saw the realization in Jack's eyes.

He stood then, moving to the cupboards and retrieving two cups for their tea, switching off the kettle and leaving them in silence. Audrey noticed how Jack turned his back to her, and how when he returned to pour their water his tired eyes didn't chance upon her face like they usually did.

Audrey knew Jack had been working overtime the day before at CTU, and that he was exhausted. She had gone about yesterday as usual, getting the baby's room painted and organized. She had been on maternity leave ever since her sixth month of her pregnancy, but she still tried to keep herself up to date on DOD briefings and had attended a conference call with the DOD during the afternoon. Strangely, though, Jack hadn't called her or texted her the day before, not once. Not even a simple "hi". He hadn't told her when he would be back, and after waiting up for him until 1 am, Audrey had fallen asleep.

Jack was far too concerned about her to not talk for 24 hours. Hell, ever since he found out she was expecting he kept constant tabs on her. He never acted this distracted. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair in disarray. Something had happened, call it intuition or a hunch, but Audrey knew.

Jack was hiding from her. Again.

Audrey held up a hand to signal Jack that he had poured her enough milk in her tea, taking the warm mug between her hands.

Jack sat down again, not touching his own mug, eyes staring down again. She knew she had to talk to him about it, whether or not he wanted to talk back. Audrey spoke softly to him.

"I finished the nursery yesterday," She began talking about their baby, hoping it would ease him.

"Hm. How does it look?" Jack said, voice coarse.

"Very olive-y." Audrey laughed a little, "You better hope this baby is a boy, or we're going to have to re-paint."

Jack nodded, stifling a chuckle. It was quiet, then.

"You didn't get in till late."

"Yeah. Bill had me take over a high priority case that Division sent in at three a.m."

"Three a.m.? How high priority was it?"

"A domestic. A wanted terrorist working undercover had been located, but he had a wife and five kids living with him in a house on the east side." Jack whispered, "Division wanted us to detain him and interrogate, since we were the closest branch to his location. I had to go pick up his family, take them back to CTU until they were relocated."

He paused. Audrey watched him, waiting, but when he didn't continue she prodded gently, "Did it go okay?"

The darkened eyes stared at his untouched drink. The silence that fell answered her question for him.

"What happened?" Audrey wanted Jack to look back at her, but he wouldn't. "Jack, what happened?"

". . . when I got there, somehow, the terrorist had gotten a tip on us and had fled. No sign of him, no car, nothing. We broke into the house . . ."

Jack closed his eyes, stopping at the falter that overtook his voice.

". . . we broke in, and it was dark in there and too quiet. The kitchen drawers were torn apart, in search for the knife he used as a weapon. He hadn't left any witnesses. He slaughtered them, first his wife, then the four older children, all in their beds. The blood was just . . . but the smallest one, he hadn't wounded well enough to kill her, just enough so that she was slowly bleeding out. I got to her first. She was lying in her crib, just lying there so still. I picked her up, and I wrapped her in my jacket because she was so cold. I felt her breathing, her big brown eyes staring at me, but she didn't look scared. Just tired, but . . . she was bleeding too much for me to get her outside. I called for the med team, and I just sat there on the floor, holding her tiny body to mine. And she looked up at me . . ."

Jack chuckled once. This time, when he paused it seemed more grave than before. It was so quiet, Audrey swore she heard the gentle pat of his teardrop hitting the tabletop.

". . . she said, 'Papa'. And then, she stopped breathing."

Audrey felt her stomach give way, not stopping the tears in her own eyes.

"Audrey." Jack, finally, looked up desperately to her, "She was only a baby."

Reaching across the table to grab his hand would no longer suffice as consolation. Audrey got up just as she saw her husbands head fall heavily to his hands, moving them away as she wrapped her arms around him. He clung back to her tightly, his whole body tense with the sorrow ripping through him. She felt the coarseness of his stubble on her neck as he buried his face there.

"It wasn't your fault, Jack. There's nothing you could have done - "

"That could have been you."

Audrey hesitated the phrase on her tongue. She was stunned quiet with the thought, one of her hands instinctively resting on her stomach.

"It's been so hard . . . to keep the ones I love safe. You know that, with Teri . . ."

"Jack . . ."

"I don't wanna lose you," The voice said between tears, desperately, as if right then her life was hanging in the balance, "I can't ever lose you."

Audrey hushed him, unable to reply. It broke her heart to see her husband, the toughest man she knew, brought to tears. It made her realize how genuine his love was for her and their unborn child. That alone could have made her cry. But she swallowed, releasing a sigh; this is what they had promised each other at their wedding, to be one another's strength. In his weakness, she had to be strong.

"When we started seeing each other, I realized that everyday you'd be risking your life to keep other people safe. That it would be a part of our lives. I knew that your line of work would put us both at risk . . . and I wasn't afraid of that. I love you. I know you'd give your life for me. You prove that to me everyday. And I'm willing to do the same for you. "

The silence that settled then was soothing, filled lightly with the chirping of morning birds outside the window. The sunlight had shifted, warming them as they held each other's gaze. Audrey could see the mixture of relieved emotions wash over her husband face, and he wrapped his arms around her again.

"I love you with all my heart," Jack whispered, smiling through tears.

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_**(*sniff sniff* sorry, I just . . . my opt :3 Thanks for reading! Leave any requests/feedback in a review!)**_


	6. Remember?

_**Hello hello! Here's another one! So this one is pretty angsty and a tad bit graphic but not overly bad, don't fret. Hopefully I'll have the next one up asap :) Thanks to all my lovely reviewers, on here and IG! #jaudrey forever! - Ellisaed**_

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Jack huffed as he finally pulled into his driveway, turning off his SUV and sitting in silence for a moment. It had been a particularly harrowing day at CTU, - per norm, as of late with the presidential election approaching - and Bill had given him fifteen suspect profiles to work through for the meeting with DOD in the morning. He reached across to the passenger seat where he had haphazardly thrown them, opening one of the envelopes lazily to scan through it.

Jack had wanted to decline the extra work but knew he was the best for the job. Taking a second thought, he probably should have.

Jack Bauer knew he was always willing to take on a challenge, but the challenge that he faced this point of his life was one that he fought day in and day out to conquer. But he owed it, to Audrey, because he knew she was fighting an even harder battle herself.

Just two weeks ago, his partner Audrey Raines had been discharged from the hospital after finishing three months of intensive recovery from her times of torture in China only a few moths ago. Though she still had numerous scars, inside and out, Jack had been able to see glimpses of her regular self each passing day. She began to strengthen, and could walk and eat on her own. Her physical and mental health had been well enough, and the doctors had okayed her to go home, with Jack, to their tiny little place in the suburbs. That day had been incredibly wonderful.

The doctors had warned Jack that despite Audrey's improvements, every day for them was going to be an uphill climb: her recovery was ongoing, and she still had a long journey. They had been right. Ever since Audrey began attempting full time living on her own, things had been busier for Jack. That night he still had to make dinner and spend time with Audrey, reading usually, and help her get ready for bed. He would have to make sure the house was semi presentable for the morning, when the visiting nurse came each day to run vitals.

As busy at times as it was, he wasn't going to complain - things were going good. Audrey was improving faster than she had been, and was much more herself now that he could spend more time with her. Her bouts of extreme paranoia, anxiety attacks, and frequent nightmares were lessening day by day. Even yesterday, Jack had seen her nearly smile for the first time in weeks. He didn't want to ruin it just because Buchanan gave him homework. He would find a way to make it fit.

With another sigh, Jack gathered his things and shoved them in his briefcase before locking his SUV. The sun was just starting to sink below the horizon beyond their house, which meant he had plenty time to do what he needed, and maybe even some yard work, glancing at the weeds lining the flowerbeds around the house. _Maybe I can finally get around to cutting this lawn too_, he mused. Audrey had always been the one to tend the garden, though at the moment she didn't like going outside too much.

Jack grabbed the door handle while trying to fiddle in his keys -

But the lock did not resist his grip. Rather, the door was not even closed at all. As an array of nervous thoughts battered him, Jack tightened his grip on the brass knob, forcing himself to be calm as he slowly pushed the door open. He instructed Audrey to lock the door after 3 p.m., and she had so everyday. _Maybe she left it unlocked for me_, Jack pondered. The thought was nice, but it was more for the benefit of his comfort.

The house was dim and quiet. Shadows rested still and slanted on the staircase. Usually Audrey played music, because the silence reminded her too much of former torture. It did to Jack as well. As much as he wanted to call his wife's name, he both did not want to startle her or alert the possible assailant in his home. He waited a moment, listening, but heard not a sound.

"Dammit." Jack breathed. Something wasn't right.

Warily, he slipped off his shoes and jacket, grabbing the pistol still at his hip and bringing it up at ready. He glanced into the den as he passed, and the washroom, but both were empty. His socked footsteps creaked on the wooden floor as he headed toward the kitchen, and Jack paused to see if he had alerted anyone. Not a sound.

Jack moved into the kitchen, and was stopped at what he saw.

Their granite countertop was covered with an array of spilled silverware, and the dishwasher was half-emptied below it. Shards of a broken glass plate were scattered all across the floor, and sitting amongst the pieces was his wife, pale hands and fingers smeared with the familiar deep scarlet of blood. She flinched and clenched her hands together at the sight of Jack and the gun he pointed at her, and he quickly lowered it.

Audrey's lip trembled, her face yearning to provide an explanation, but she seemed even more broken than the fragments around her. She only whispered.

"Help me, Jack."

It was the phrase Audrey used during her anxiety spells, the one ingrained in her from China. Jack felt a wash of relief cover him at the sight somehow, the uncertain fear he had felt replaced with a new gentle worry. She had only suffered an anxiety spell.

"Audrey," Jack set his gun on the countertop before kneeling before her, careful to avoid glass beneath his feet, "Are you alright?"

Jack brought a hand up to her cheek, trying to steady her wandering eyes, "Hey, look at me."

She did so.

"Are you alright?"

Audrey tightened her hands again, opening her mouth but only releasing incoherent forms of words.

"Shh, it's ok." Jack soothed, rubbing her shoulder, "What happened sweetheart? Can you tell me?"

Audrey gasped, a tear escaping her still skittish eyes; she pointed a piece of the broken plate with an unsteady hand.

"You broke this." Jack concluded, receiving a half-nod from her. Even though he suspected what happened, he knew he had to help Audrey calm down and realize she was ok. It was the methods the therapist had taught him to use.

"How did you cut yourself?" Jack asked, taking one of Audrey's hands so he could see it. There were four or five inch long cuts on each hand, and judging by the red-stained shards of broken plate he figured she had only been trying to clean up the mess. He hoped she had. Audrey had shed most of her tendencies of self-inflicting injuries, but the thought that she could have relapsed did cross his mind.

"How did you get these cuts?"

She didn't like his touch, but he didn't let her pull away.

"Hey, talk to me. Audrey. How did you cut your hands?

". . . help me, Jack."

"Please sweetheart, I want to help you. But you gotta tell me what happened."

". . . I . . . the, the - the . . ."

"Take your time," Jack said, gently rising and helping her up with him. He lead her carefully out of the danger of the glass and toward the washroom. "You're doing fine."

"The - the, I . . . dropped, I dropped it. It was s-slippery and . . . help me Jack - "

"It's ok, that's good," Jack knew it wasn't really a good thing, but she had managed to explain herself relatively well - better than other times. Audrey was reluctant to follow as he walked her into the bathroom, her body stiffening at the bright lights, but he helped her sit on the edge of the bathtub and she relaxed as he touched her knee.

"Help me, Jack, help me - "

"I'll help you, let's get you cleaned up."

Jack wet a washcloth with lukewarm water and gently washed her hands clean; thankfully, the cuts were not deep, and they looked accidental. That relieved him.

"Do you remember the time we got caught in the rain after one of your father's banquets?" Jack said, trying to take both her mind as well as his off of their situation to calm them, "It was the spring, and hell it was so cold out we were shivering like crazy. It was 1 am, so no places were open, and we were running around like lost little schoolkids for some shelter."

Audrey's eyes still were not steadied, but she had stopped trembling.

"We hid underneath the overhanging roof of a coffee shop. I put my jacket over you, and you held my hands because yours were freezing." Jack stroked the soft skin of her arm, "You said to me, 'I love the rain. Everything is so . . . vulnerable. So bare, so real.' I kissed you, because I didn't know how you could be so happy when our clothes were ruined and we were lost in the dark somewhere in the city. Do you remember that Audrey?"

She didn't respond.

"That's you. I'll never forget that." Jack slid the first aid kit out from beside the sink and found a roll of white gauze.

"Lemme see," Jack said, waiting for Audrey to offer her hand. She had to be willing to let him help her. "Audrey, let me see."

She pulled her hands close to herself, whispering, "No."

"Why not?"

". . . sorry, sorry. I - I'm sorry Jack," Audrey mumbled, eyes blinking rapidly. A tear fell from her eyes.

Jack felt his heart sink a bit, seeing. She was in distress, yes, and she was not in her right mind, but even then she knew she was hurting him. She did not want to hurt him.

"Listen to me: I am not upset at you. It was an accident. You don't have to be sorry, okay? Look at me Audrey."

At the softening of his voice, Audrey met his eyes finally, and Jack immediately saw the change in her. It was like it was the first time she had laid eyes on him, the clear blue that steadied him firmly in the present moment. Her anxiety spell was over, as quick as it probably had begun.

Audrey blinked a few times, glancing down to her hands, but kept her gaze steady on him, "Jack?"

"Yes, sweetheart. It's me."

Jack forced a smile, and Audrey nodded back, realizing everything all at once. He took her in his arms, stroking the back of her soft hair as he held her close.

"I remember," She said quietly, "I remember."

"Good," Jack managed to reply, elated inside. It was the first time she had acknowledged a memory. "You're okay. You're gonna be okay."

He whispered this in her ear over and over, not really knowing if he was talking to her or himself. Sitting on the cool edge of the porcelain bathtub, silence except for their breaths; that was where they stayed for a long while, Jack not even bothering to do his paperwork later that night, simply feeling safe and grateful to have Audrey with him, to whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

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Thanks so much for reading!


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